Beds and other support surfaces for the body have been in existence for centuries. From straw and fabric to the highly technical mattresses of today, the industry has sought to improve upon the support for a person at rest in a supine position. People spend, on average, close to ⅓ of their life span asleep. Therefore, the need for comfortable support for the body during the sleep period is highly desirable.
The technology relating to improving mattresses is diverse and includes many designs that are oriented towards individual comfort. Some designs include spring based technology; some designs include air based technology; some designs include foam based technology, and some designs combine springs, air, and foam.
The technology relating to improving the mattresses generally relates to providing increased comfort and increased support. To increase comfort and support, some mattress technologies provide a somewhat uniform support over the majority of the mattress surface. The mattresses may be one of spring based, air based, foam based, or combinations thereof. All of the various technologies of conventional mattresses suffer from one or more drawbacks in the method and structure used to provide the desired comfort and support.
Spring based mattress technologies provide very good support for individual sleepers. However, due to spring constructions and limitations, the springs are often removed from the surface of the mattress/bed for comfort. Generally, a mattress that uses spring technology for support is enclosed by at least a flame retardant sock and outer ticking layer. Thus, the conventional mattress comprises a core or support layer and an upholstery or comfort layer. The outer ticking layer (or simply ticking layer) is the thick, outer fabric provided for comfort and, to some degree, aesthetics. Moreover, the core or support layer comprising the springs typically includes bounding technologies such as thick fabrics, foams, or textiles as a wrap to the spring supports.
However, despite improvements in the types and combination of springs (albeit singularly or in combination with foams and air), a need exists in the industry for improved comfort and support for mattresses using spring technology, in part, for support. Thus, against this background, an improved mattress is desirable.